Artisan AI Secures $25M Funding While Expanding Human Team
At just 23 years old, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack is navigating the turbulent waters of startup leadership as CEO of Artisan, an AI sales agent company that recently closed a $25 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by Glade Brook Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, Day One Ventures, HubSpot Ventures, and other prominent investors.
From Y Combinator to Series A Success
Artisan’s journey has been meteoric since graduating from Y Combinator’s winter 2024 class. The startup previously raised $12 million in September 2024, marking one of the largest rounds in its cohort. Co-founded by Carmichael-Jack and former IBM product manager Sam Stallings, 30, the company has experienced the typical chaos of early-stage growth while carving its niche in the competitive AI sales development representative (SDR) market.
The Controversial Marketing Strategy
Artisan gained notoriety through its provocative “Stop Hiring Humans” campaign, which generated:
- Widespread media coverage
- Viral social media discussions
- Significant backlash (including death threats)
The campaign reached its peak when Carmichael-Jack jokingly announced his “resignation” on April 1, claiming an “AI CEO” would replace him. The April Fool’s prank highlighted the company’s tongue-in-cheek approach to AI-human collaboration.
Humans Remain Essential
Despite the marketing messaging, Carmichael-Jack clarifies:
“Human labor becomes more valuable when you have the AI content.”
The company currently employs 35 people and plans to hire 22 more across various departments, including sales. Artisan recently welcomed Ming Li as CTO, bringing experience from Deel, Rippling, TikTok, and Google.
Overcoming Early Challenges
The AI SDR market has faced growing pains, and Artisan was no exception. Carmichael-Jack admits:
- Early products had “extremely bad hallucinations”
- Customer churn was significant
- First-generation AI SDRs produced low response rates
Through close collaboration with Anthropic and refined prompting systems, Artisan claims to have reduced hallucinations to about 1 in 10,000 emails. Their flagship product, Ava, now serves 250 companies and generates $5 million in annual recurring revenue.
Expanding Product Offerings
Artisan is developing two new AI agents:
- Aaron: For handling inbound messages
- Aria: A meeting management assistant
Both products are slated for launch by the end of 2025.
Strategic Customer Selection
Carmichael-Jack learned hard lessons about product-market fit:
- Some industries (like offshore development agencies) aren’t suitable for AI SDR
- The ideal response rate is about 1%
- Wrong customers lead to wasted resources
The company now implements strict qualification processes and offers flexible contracts with early termination clauses.
Innovating for Better Results
Artisan is improving targeting by:
- Leveraging social media signals
- Analyzing fundraising data
- Monitoring news stories
- Maintaining a proprietary database of brick-and-mortar businesses
The company is piloting success-based pricing through Paid.ai, allowing customers to pay per response rather than commit to long-term contracts.
Carmichael-Jack summarizes Artisan’s philosophy:
“We should only really be selling to people if they get value from the product. If we don’t get them value, then we shouldn’t be charging them money.”
As Artisan continues to grow, it maintains a delicate balance between AI automation and human expertise—despite what its billboards might suggest.
📚 Featured Products & Recommendations
Discover our carefully selected products that complement this article’s topics:
🛍️ Featured Product 1: 990 V6 “MAGENTA POP”
Image: Premium product showcase
High-quality 990 v6 “magenta pop” offering outstanding features and dependable results for various applications.
Key Features:
- Professional-grade quality standards
- Easy setup and intuitive use
- Durable construction for long-term value
- Excellent customer support included
🔗 View Product Details & Purchase
💡 Need Help Choosing? Contact our expert team for personalized product recommendations!
